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Paper reports of treacherous Christmas weather in 1856

Bill EllzeyCorrespondent

Published: Wednesday, December 26, 2012 at 9:47 a.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, December 26, 2012 at 9:47 a.m.

“Santa Claus and Kris Kringle have made their annual visits, and the hearts of all the urchins in our parish have been made glad by the beneficent gifts of these time-honored personages,” reported editors of the Houma Ceres in its Jan. 3, 1856 issue.

“Santa Claus has come down the chimney of every domicile in the country and filled the stockings of all the little ones with his liberal gifts; and the old ones have gathered together and commemorated in a proper manner, the coming of the great day of feast and frolic.

“We were fortunate enough to have had a number of invitations to join in dinners with our friends and had the weather permitted, we should certainly have accepted at least one ... to feast upon roast Turkey and the etceteras usual on such occasions; but in the recollection of our oldest citizen, never have the heralds of merriment and good cheer had such disagreeable weather ... to contend against.

“Our Landlady spread the festive board and invited all who wished to come ... and a merrier time we have never seen than on this occasion. Egg Nog in the morning, and Roast Turkey at dinner together with spirit-stirring wine, and every thing else that the most fastidious appetite could wish for. Taking all things into consideration, Christmas passed with more than the usual spirit of hilarity.”

Holiday weather in Houma had been miserable in 1855: “We have had worse weather for the past two weeks, than we have known in this country for many years. One day we have rain, another cold and freezing and from one to the other.

“Sugar Planters have had miserable weather in which to secure their crops, and if this state of things exists much longer, it will interfere with the coming crops. Planters can do nothing now, on account of the miserable condition of the roads.”

And yet the editor of the Ceres, E.W. Blake, and his staff, made the best of it, fortified by beverages delivered by Holden’s express service: “On Christmas Eve whilst the clouds were pouring down rain in torrents over our village — we were suddenly (startled) by the loud blasts of Holdens Express stage (stage coach) at our door.” The owner of the shuttle service between Houma and the new railroad at Schriever, B.F. Holden, had sent a half-dozen of Charles Hidseek’s best brand, a bottle of old rye labeled 1834, and a bottle of extra Catawba brandy. This was indeed a beverage worthy of the Gods.

“Sentiment upon sentiment was drank, in which his enterprising spirit was acknowledged — and success upon success was proposed to Holden’s Houma Express.”

The new rail line between New Orleans and Morgan City, and Holden’s connecting stage coaches were stimulating the 1856 growth of Houma, which had been described in 1848 as “a Court House, a Boarding House and a Store, with perhaps two or three private residences ... a small town of little note ... with little or no commerce.”

Just seven years later, editors, admitting they had been drawn to Terrebonne a year earlier by the promise of growth, said there were several large stores and just as many smaller businesses, plus a residential housing boom.

But the same newspaper also reported a holiday “traffic” fatality, under the headline, “FROZEN TO DEATH.”

“John McShane, who was a driver of one of the Expresses, was found frozen to death on the morning of the 26th, near Bayou Cane, on the road from Houma to Thibodaux.

“His wagon was run into a ditch, and one of his mules thrown down, and in attempting to extricate them, the devoted driver perished. We learn that he was of temperate habits, and his death cast a shadow of gloom on the faces of many of our citizens, whose favor and esteem ‘Irish John’ had won by his gentlemanly conduct and politeness.”

The Courier and Daily Comet are looking for your old photographs and the memories that go with them. In order to protect your valuable photographs, do not send unsolicited photographs. Instead, contact Bill Ellzey at 876-5638 and leave a message. You may also write to him at: The Courier, P.O. Box 2717, Houma, LA 70361 or contact him at bill-ellzey@att.net.

<p>“Santa Claus and Kris Kringle have made their annual visits, and the hearts of all the urchins in our parish have been made glad by the beneficent gifts of these time-honored personages,” reported editors of the Houma Ceres in its Jan. 3, 1856 issue.</p><p>“Santa Claus has come down the chimney of every domicile in the country and filled the stockings of all the little ones with his liberal gifts; and the old ones have gathered together and commemorated in a proper manner, the coming of the great day of feast and frolic.</p><p>“We were fortunate enough to have had a number of invitations to join in dinners with our friends and had the weather permitted, we should certainly have accepted at least one ... to feast upon roast Turkey and the etceteras usual on such occasions; but in the recollection of our oldest citizen, never have the heralds of merriment and good cheer had such disagreeable weather ... to contend against.</p><p>“Our Landlady spread the festive board and invited all who wished to come ... and a merrier time we have never seen than on this occasion. Egg Nog in the morning, and Roast Turkey at dinner together with spirit-stirring wine, and every thing else that the most fastidious appetite could wish for. Taking all things into consideration, Christmas passed with more than the usual spirit of hilarity.”</p><p>Holiday weather in Houma had been miserable in 1855: “We have had worse weather for the past two weeks, than we have known in this country for many years. One day we have rain, another cold and freezing and from one to the other.</p><p>“Sugar Planters have had miserable weather in which to secure their crops, and if this state of things exists much longer, it will interfere with the coming crops. Planters can do nothing now, on account of the miserable condition of the roads.”</p><p>And yet the editor of the Ceres, E.W. Blake, and his staff, made the best of it, fortified by beverages delivered by Holden's express service: “On Christmas Eve whilst the clouds were pouring down rain in torrents over our village — we were suddenly (startled) by the loud blasts of Holdens Express stage (stage coach) at our door.” The owner of the shuttle service between Houma and the new railroad at Schriever, B.F. Holden, had sent a half-dozen of Charles Hidseek's best brand, a bottle of old rye labeled 1834, and a bottle of extra Catawba brandy. This was indeed a beverage worthy of the Gods.</p><p>“Sentiment upon sentiment was drank, in which his enterprising spirit was acknowledged — and success upon success was proposed to Holden's Houma Express.”</p><p>The new rail line between New Orleans and Morgan City, and Holden's connecting stage coaches were stimulating the 1856 growth of Houma, which had been described in 1848 as “a Court House, a Boarding House and a Store, with perhaps two or three private residences ... a small town of little note ... with little or no commerce.”</p><p>Just seven years later, editors, admitting they had been drawn to Terrebonne a year earlier by the promise of growth, said there were several large stores and just as many smaller businesses, plus a residential housing boom.</p><p>But the same newspaper also reported a holiday “traffic” fatality, under the headline, “FROZEN TO DEATH.”</p><p>“John McShane, who was a driver of one of the Expresses, was found frozen to death on the morning of the 26th, near Bayou Cane, on the road from Houma to Thibodaux.</p><p>“His wagon was run into a ditch, and one of his mules thrown down, and in attempting to extricate them, the devoted driver perished. We learn that he was of temperate habits, and his death cast a shadow of gloom on the faces of many of our citizens, whose favor and esteem 'Irish John' had won by his gentlemanly conduct and politeness.”</p><p>The Courier and Daily Comet are looking for your old photographs and the memories that go with them. In order to protect your valuable photographs, do not send unsolicited photographs. Instead, contact Bill Ellzey at 876-5638 and leave a message. You may also write to him at: The Courier, P.O. Box 2717, Houma, LA 70361 or contact him at bill-ellzey@att.net.</p>